Kitimat City Council had a discussion on covering the Garbage bound for the Landfill Site. Councillor Corinne Scott made a motion to have all loads going to the landfill site covered to avoid litter blowing along the highway.

“This is further to the motion put forward by Councillor Feldhoff to recycle the residential cardboard and the amendment to the bylaw. I was wishing to add a further amendment to the bylaw to require all loads destined for the landfill to be tarped or covered. The ditches along our highway between Kitimat and our landfill site is littered with garbage which is blown out of the trucks on the way,” said Scott.

She hoped such a bylaw would go a long way to having a nicer entrance to Kitimat.

Mayor Joanne Monaghan wanted to know who would monitor this. Scott replied it would be the manager of the landfill. For the first year, it would be a reminder or a sign letting people know to cover their loads. Get people used to idea their loads need to be covered.

Councillor Phil Germuth was in favour of a motion which would keep refuge where it was supposed to be. He was concerned about enforcement because the local landfill operators are not enforcement officers. He reminded Council there was a sign next to the highway which read: No littering. He suggested it should fall on the police to enforce this.

Councillor Mary Murphy supported the intent of the motion as there were many motions made by Council about becoming an environmentally friendly community. She suggested bringing this back to staff for their advice on becoming an environmentally sound community.

Councillor Mario Feldhoff supported the intent but there were already provincial laws against littering. Passing another law would create complexity.

“There are people who are not using common sense with respect to securing their loads and they are breaking the littering laws as it is. To have all those require tarping, I think might be a bit of an overkill for loads, materials which aren’t going to be flying out the back of the truck and an unnecessary restriction on our residents for those who are not using common sense,” said Feldhoff.

The motion to require covering litter was called and it was defeated. Murphy made a motion to refer the motion to staff in order to combine all the motions relating to recycling together to have an environmentally friendly community.

“We put several motions on the floor already over the last six months to deal with recycling, to deal with becoming an environmentally friendly community. I know that we hired a consultant to do a report for that and we’ve been trying in small steps to pass different things such as a cardboard ban from the land fill. In doing such, we’ve created problems for residents of the community,” said Murphy.

She expressed Council has been receiving the same calls. People do not have the ability to store cardboard or even cross the river. There are other things people want to recycle, including plastic.

Feldhoff was against this one as well. He saw another delay and by the time they were combined, there would be a greater undue delay. He wanted to move on this and put it in place. He did not want to see a delay on the cardboard ban.

Scott did not see this as a delay or change. The cardboard ban should be going forward. However, it could be incorporated into a study on recycling and keeping the community clean. Murphy agreed.

Feldhoff asked for clarification. Administration told him they did not know how they would move forward, but they understood what Murphy was asking for. They would talk it over. The motion was carried.

Money Money Motivator

Comment by Litterbugs on 18th November 2012Simply enforce the litter and unsecured load laws with appropriate fine$, post the reult$ for all to $ee, and leave us innocent folks with common sense alone. Adding new laws instead of enforcing the ones you have is kind of pointless isn't it?

Garbage Highway

Comment by CEM on 13th November 2012Just follow the road into Kitimat from the Garbage dump and it looks like the "Highway of Garbage," disgraceful ! What an inviting highway into Kitimat ! Something needs to be done.

CEM

Comment by Carol on 4th November 2012There maybe bylaws in place and for the most part buisness and most people are careful about securing their garbage on a trailer or the back of a truck. But if people going to the dump had to put a tarp over their garbage it would prevent garbage from flying out.The police or bylaw officers can't be everywhere and to have laws that nobody is around to enforce is useless. All that does is make some people more careful about their garbage and then there are some who don't care if something flies out of the back of their trailer or truck. You would think they would see what blew out on their way back into town !

Well said Campion

Comment by David on 3rd November 2012Agreed.

Why not Enforce Existing MVA

Comment by Campion on 2nd November 2012I am at a loss understanding why this council feels they need a bylaw for everything. This issue is well covered by the Provincial MVA35.04

Vehicles must be equipped and cargo must be contained, immobilized or secured in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Division and the Standard and so that it cannot

(a) leak, spill, blow off, fall from, fall through or otherwise be dislodged from the vehicle, or

(b) shift on or within the vehicle in a manner that affects the stability or manoeuvrability of the vehicle.

[en. B.C. Reg. 113/2005, Sch. 1.]

AndOperating vehicles with insecure cargo prohibited

35.08 (1) If a peace officer has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a vehicle carrying cargo is unsafe for use on a highway because of the method of cargo securement, the peace officer may order the driver of the vehicle to stop the vehicle and secure the cargo before proceeding.